Physiotherapy
University of Birmingham
UCAS Code: B160 | Master of Science - MSci
Entry requirements
A level
A level Biology/Human Biology or PE at grade A. Minimum of seven GCSEs to include: English Language and Mathematics (or one, but not both, of Methods in Mathematics and Applications of Mathematics) at grade 6/B or higher and Biology and Chemistry or dual award science at grade 6/B or higher. The remainder of the GCSEs should be at grade 5/C or higher. Specified subjects excluded for entry: We do not accept Applied Science, Citizenship Studies, Communication and Culture, Critical Studies, Critical Thinking, General Studies, Global Perspectives, Moving Image Arts, Science in Society, Use of Maths and World Development.
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Science, Health Science or Physiotherapy: a minimum of 60 credits overall including 45 at Level 3, all with Distinctions. 36 Science credits at Level 3 (with 18 in Biology). English and Maths at GCSE grade 6/B or above.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
32 points overall with 6,6,5 at Higher Level. Biology/Human Biology or PE grade 6 required at Higher Level.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
BTEC Extended Diploma accepted in Sport & Exercise Science, Health Science, Health & Social Care and Applied Science. Grades required - D*D*D* with distinctions in all units. BTEC Extended Diplomas in other subjects will require an additional A level in Biology or PE at grade A.
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About this course
Physiotherapy at the University of Birmingham is based in the world-leading School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. You will study at a research-intensive university (member of the Russell Group) that offers teaching excellence and a long tradition of physiotherapy education.
Our four-year MSci Physiotherapy programme provides the time and space to ensure students optimally develop their clinical skills and experience alongside academic excellence.
Birmingham is a cosmopolitan and vibrant city with many cultural and social opportunities. It is also home to some outstanding healthcare facilities (e.g. Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital) that provide many practice-based placement opportunities for our students. We take a patient-centred approach to preparing students for placements, with time for reflection on these experiences, ensuring our graduates are prepared for a career as a physiotherapist in a range of contemporary and culturally-diverse healthcare settings.
As you might expect from a university like ours, the programme has a strong emphasis on science and research, and the school has many subject experts in physiotherapy, exercise and rehabilitation-related fields. In the final two years of the programme, you will have the opportunity to study some optional modules, allowing you to follow your specific interests, broaden your perspectives and study alongside other students in the school, including intercalating medical students.
We believe that university life is about the overall experience and there is a range of support to ensure students get the most out of their studies. You will have a Personal Tutor from your first day and the school has Wellbeing Tutors and Welfare Officers as part of a wide network of support around student wellbeing tailored to your personal circumstances.
On completion of the programme, our graduates are eligible to apply for full membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and registration as a physiotherapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Modules
Year One of the programme provides an introductory year for students transitioning to higher education. The year is shared with BSc Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. You will have weekly tutorials with a personal tutor to support the development of your academic and professional skills while also studying the basic and applied sciences underpinning physiotherapy (anatomy and movement, human physiology and exercise, exercise and health psychology).
In Year Two, there is a strong emphasis on developing your clinical knowledge and related physiotherapy skills. Physiotherapists work in diverse settings (e.g. hospital-based acute care and rehabilitation, community-based rehabilitation for long term conditions, clinic-based physiotherapy for musculo-skeletal disorders) and you will be prepared for practice-based placements in each of these areas.
As part of the programme, students undertake six practice-based placements in total; the first of these takes place towards the end of Year Two.
In Year Three, you will complete two practice-based placements and further develop your clinical reasoning. University-based study will focus on more complex clinical cases and other specialist areas where physiotherapists practice. You will continue to develop your academic and research skills, completing a literature review in an area of interest and studying a module focusing on research design and service evaluation. You will also select and study two optional modules. Current options include (but are not limited to) Analysis of Motor Performance, Exercise as Medicine, Athletic Training and Conditioning, Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Mental Health and Sport.
In the summer period/holidays between Years Three and Four, you will complete an elective placement. Students arrange these placements themselves (with support) and often travel to different countries, providing a unique opportunity to experience healthcare in an unfamiliar setting. Elective placements also provide an opportunity for students to gain experience in a specialist clinical area of particular interest.
In Year Four you will complete your final two practice-based placements, developing your critical thinking and clinical reasoning based on these experiences. This work will prepare you for employment as a physiotherapist and your continuing professional development post-registration. Another major focus in your final year will be your research project. Options here are varied, reflecting the diversity of research in the school with many opportunities to undertake laboratory or field-based studies exploring contemporary issues relating to exercise, health and rehabilitation.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Birmingham
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
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Physiotherapy
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